Internal-combustion engine



Dec. 18, 1928. 1,696,060

- G. w. SMITH, .1R

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec. 2l, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. l18, 1928.

G. W. SMITH, JR

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Dec. 2l, 1925 {Sheets-Sheet 2 of an engine,

yramal Dec. is, 192s. e.

An object of my invention, therefore, is

UNITED STATESA PATENT oFFlcla.;l

GEORGE W. smi'rn, am., or CLEVELAND, CHIC, AssreNoa To cuna/WHITE `Moron Corr- PANY, or CLEVELAND, caro, A CORPORATION or oHIo.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. c

Application led December 21, 1925. Serial No. 76,9()9.`

Myv invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularly to that type thereof wherein a combustible mixture ignited iny thefengine cylinder may comprise such heavy fuel as crude' oil, kerosene or the like.

It has hitherto been proposed, in certain engines of this general type, to bring the combustible charge, comprising airI and fuel, to such a high degree of compression that spontaneous ignition will occur from the heat of the compression; such engines, however, must be made exceedingly heavy, in, order to withstand the stresses which are set up ,during their operation.` In certain in'- stahces it has been proposed to burn a heavy fuel in engines without compressing the fuel mixture to a degree above the ignition point, but so far as I am aware, this has been attended by such undesirable results as incomplete combustion, carbonization ofthe fuel in the combustion chamber and difiiculties inmaintaining thejtiming of the firing -under variable engine loads and speeds. 5

heavy' fuel such as a relativeinto the combustion chamber and to burn a' mixture vof such oil and air therein, without first bringing it to that high degreevof `pressure required for firingy it as isnecessary in engines ofthe. high compression orso-called Diesel type.

Another object of my invention is to ig-y nite the main working charge of heavy fuel to introduce a ly heavy oil,

, and air in an engine, by firstring :1n-auxiliary minor igniting charge which, is preferabl of a highly volatile nature and which is isposed in proximity and 'fired at required predetermined iny tenvals.

Another object of my invention is to accomplish theJ firing at the main charge by first maintaining-the major 4and minor'. charges substantially se arated until after the l ring' of the minor cb arge, and accomplishing consequent immediate ignition of the i f major charge by explosively mixingA the f er burning minor charge therewith; 4

Another'obJect of my lnvention is toneccmplish the firing of the-minor charge in ther ordinarymanner forignitinginternalV 'combustion engine vcharges by the use timed electrical ignition system: j"

Another ^`object of my lnventi ofa `designated by ,piston'l2,'is reciprocatedby means necting rod 3'pivotally carried en a ycrank-f 'l shaftx 4,' journaled in 'bearings 5, in the', crankcase 6. Abovev thejc linder, 1, andv tothe main charge relatively small, and spherical inv on -is to acf complisha most efficient introduction ofthe main charge comprising relatively heavy Figure -2 1s `a horizontal section taken upon a plane indicated by .the lines in u Figure 1. ,t v i Figure 3 is a plan view of a fragmentary portion of the ures; and

`'Figures ,4 and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating certain aspects of my invention.

lengine of the foregoing fig- Referring.l now'to .the different figures 'ins the drawings, inall Qofwhich, like parts yare engine comprises a cylinder-1, in whichy 'a of1 a A con-y,

like reference characters, the

communicating therewith t ere islamain@ l combustionchamber A7` provided with 'an Xn a vliaust port 8, and an intake port 9. ,Thein-j 1), p

ltake port communicates `with a passagewayV 10 extending to atmosphere'and isa apted to be` regularly opened and closed by the i valve 11, suitably operated bya rocker arm'- 12, actuated from the crankshaft 4, through the gears 13 and14, a camshaft 15, and a valve push rod 16. The ratio ofthe gearing between the crank and camshafts is two l to one, as 1s common 1n four cycle engines,

thus facilitating the operation .of the valve 11, once in every second revolution of the crankshaft.V l A rIn juxtaposition with the main combustion chamber 7, there isa minor charge Combustion ch mber 17, which is preferably orm. In-

termediate the'chanibers 7 and 17, and come municating with;y each there isapassage 18, formed'` with relatively small I terminating orifices 19"and20,and with an iny Way termediate enlarged central portion.

In a wall of the minor chamber l17, there is provided a spark plug 21, and adjacent thereto is an automatic valve 22, spring pressed 4,by a spring 23, to its seat, wherein it closesthe inlet passage 24, leading from a carburetor 25 to the chamber 17. The

carburetor 25 is provided for the purpose of supplying a mixture of a relatively light and combustible hydrocarbon, such as gasoline and air, to the minor combustion chamber.

A second piston 26, of relatively small diameter, is disposed within a cylinder 27 and .i is adapted to be reciprocated at half the rate of reciprocation of the piston 2, in the cylinder 1. The piston 26, is formed with a A longitudinal bore 28, and a transverse bore 29, which communicates with an annular Agroove 30, in the piston intermediate its ends. The groove 30 is adapted to be aligned with a passage 31 when the piston is in its uppermost or so-called compression position and when the piston is at its lowermost position` the top wall thereof will be disposed above the level of the passage 31, thus preventing communication between the cylinder 27 and the combustion chamber 7. A high compression chamber 32, for the cylinder 27, is provided above the piston 26, and within this chamber an automatic valve 33 is provided for admitting a mixture of heavy fuel and air to the cylinder 27. The valve 33 is spring pressed by the spring 34 to its seat 35 and is adapted to bev opened upon the suction stroke of the piston 26 and to be closed upon a compressive stroke thereof.

The passage 3l is preferably disposed in such angular relation to the combustion cha/mber 7 and so positioned `with respect to the valve port 8 as to direct the inwardly rushing mixture of air and fuel against the exhaust valve 49, cooling the same and creating a turbulent flow of gases within the combustion chamber.

The mixture of heavy fuel and air is supplied through an inlet conduit 36 which is preferably provided with a venturi 37 at.

which venturi heavy fuel oil is supplied through a nozzle 38 from a reservoir 39.v

The air admitted may be heated in any suitable manner, as by an exhaust stove which, as illustrated, comprises a casing 40, enveloping the exhaust pipe 50, and a conduit 41 leading therefrom to the inlet conduit 36 at a point below the venturi 37. If desired the heated products of combustion, or air and the heated exhaust gases, may be substituted for air by providing a suitable communication with the exhaust pipe and admitting these gases to the inlet conduit 36.

' The volume of the mixture of air or gases and fuel is controlled by a valve 42, which,

in the present case is mounted in the inlet conduit 36, above the venturi, although other and equivalent forms and arrangements of the fuel control may be used.

The piston 26 is reciprocated by means of a pitman 43, mounted on an eccentric 44, on the camshaft 45, which is driven by the crankshaft 4 through the 'gears 14 and 46. The eccentric 44 may be angularly adjusted on the shaft 45 by positioning the broached hubs 47 of the eccentric 44 on the splined portion of the shaft 45 and then clamping the hubs 47 -to the shaft by tightening the bolts 48.

An exhaust valve 49 similar to the air inlet valve 11, is provided to control the fiow of burned gases from the cylinder combustion chamber 7 to the. exhaust pipe 50, the said exhaust valve being controlled in a manner like that of valve 11 by a rocker arm 51 together with a suitable valve push r'od 52 and gear connections to communicate motion from the crankshaft 4. i

The cams for operating the respective valve push rods 16 'and 52, for the air inlet and exhaust valves are so disposed on the camshafts 15 and 45 that the inlet and exhaust valves will be alternately opened in the manner common in four cycle engines for fuel inlet and exhaust valves.

Assuming that b suitable fluid supply connections, a relatively volatilel fluid such as gasoline is continually supplied to the carburetor 25, and a relatively less volatile Huid fuel is continuousl supplied to the oil reservoir; the engine of",7 the embodiment of my invention, herein illustrated and described operates as follows: The rotation of the crankshaft4, will reciprocate the piston 2 which, on its downward movement, will reduce the pressure existing in the combustion chamber 7 to a fluid pressure lower than atmospheric pressureand the valves 11 and 22 will be caused to be drawn to their open position b the excess of the fluid pressure of atmosp ere on their outer sides. With the continued movement of the piston 2 towards its lowermost position these valves will be held open and through the valve openings thereby created there will be drawn respectively, a mixture of gasoline and air through the valve opening controlled bythe valve 22 and a relatively heavier flow of air through the valve opening controlled by the valve 11. The piston 26 meanwhile is moved downwardly and effects the opening of the automatic valve 33, causing` a mixture of air and heavy fuel to be drawn through the valve opening controlled by the valve y33.

.The venturi restriction 37 in the conduit 36, prevents the fluid .in the conduit from maintaining itself at atmospheric pressure, and consequently the reduction of pressure in the conduit 36, intensified at the venturi liquid fuel inthereservoirii, forcingsuc'h liquid fuel through the nozzle 38, 1n a semiatomized condition, whence it will be conveyed by the inwardly rushing air through the conduit 36 and through the valve opening controlled by the valve 33 into the com- 1 ing pression chamber 32.

The action of drawing the mixture of i heavy oil and air into the chamber 32 will Y l1o continue only while the piston is movin a downward direction. B virtue I of the adjustability of the eccentric 44 on feo the shaft 45, an angular disposition of the eccentric relative. to` that of the crank for the Ipiston'rod 3, maybe made so that the peripheral groove will have been brought into alignment with the passage 31 just prior tothe attainment bythe piston 2 of c way 28 leading therefrom, into thecombusftion chamber 7', generally in an atomized condition.

Thev clearance space at the end of the stroke ofthe piston 26 being relatively small compared to the space swept by the piston r26, the contents of the chamber 32 wllbe subjected to a high degree of compression,

' and when desired, this compression may be made so high as to and air mixture.

approach the point of spontaneousxignition of the heavy fuel oil The alignment ofthe peripheral `groove 30, withthe passageway'31 opens a restricted l". exit passagefor thehighly compressed and.-

heated combustion mixture of .heavy fuel oil and air into the combustion chamber 7 a' more' highly and insures theinjection of fuel at a high velocity'wherebythe particles of heavy fuel oil willbe injected into the much less highly compressed air of the combustion chamber so as to penetrate the compressed air in the combustion chamber 7 and accomplish an intimate mixture ofthe heavy fuel oil parf `ticles with the air in which they are or the moment, suspended. y' l Meanwhile lthe ignition chamber 17 and the 'intermediate chamber y18 are filled with.

volatile mixture comprising gasoline and air which is drawn through the valve 22 on the downward suction stroke ofthe piston 2; Thecompression of the air f in they combustion chamber will' however,

force back towards ythe ignition chamber 17 thisobody of volatile mixture without mixing it to any greatextent, with the compressed air in'lthc chamber 7 .Y

.combustion chamber' 7;, iis-communicated Lto mediate chamber is, .aaa the 'igniiion pressed `stantial separation of The pressure imposed upon .the airin the fthemixture'o gasoline'and air in the interk j 18 being, however, yshifted toward the igm'- 1,30

chamber 17, in sucha way 'as to avoid turbur lence therein, whereby intermingling of the.

contents of the chambers 18 and 17 on the one hand with the combustion chamber 7 j on the'other, is substantially prevented.

.As the piston 2 approachesy its uppermost position, and during the injection of the over-rich mixture of oil and air, the highly explosive mixture in the ignition chamber 17 'is-exploded by producing a spark in the well known manner at the point of the spark plug 21, projected within such chamber. The timing of the firing of the ignition charge 17 vmay be adjustably determined by adjustment of the timer 53, in the .well known manner for timing the firing of four .cycle engines, and the liring may -be advanced to an suitable `degree relative to the movement o the piston 2 toward its uppermost position, likewise the relative cycle movement of they piston 26 may be predetermined by adjusting the angular position of the eccentric 44 on the shaft 45 so 'that the piston 26 may bustible mixture into the combustion chamber`7 at any desirabletime of, or after-.the piston 2 has reached the uppermost position, that is','the injection ofthe fuel-may be advanced or `retardedto any desirable degree depending upon conditions under which the engine is operated,

the nature of the `fuel employed, speed of` propagation of ame ignition pcintsto the combustion `chamber and the speed at which the engine i's to be operated.

It willjbe understood that the firing ofA the charge in the ignition chamber 17 will explosively eject the burning charge of' gases from the chambers 17 and `18 into all parts of the combustion chamber 7, which at the time will contain a compressed charge of aiIl with. generally inely comminuted suspended particlesof heavy fuel oil'previously relieve the compressed comA97 point before, at the i projected through. the passage 3 1 into the combustion chamber 7 The charge inthe chamber 32 is preferably` compressed five or six times the 'degree ofc'ompression of the charge in the combustion chamber 7 which may have its charge lcomto substantially the pressure commonly used in gasoline explosive engines; for instance the charge employed in the chamber 7 may be com ressed to 7 5 pounds.

i per square inch, Jwhile t e charge in thecom- '120 bustion chamber 32 may be compressed/to 450, pounds per square inch.

lib

. i K. j The relative volumes of the chamber 7 vand the communicating chambers 17 and 18 are; purposely ksuch that lthere be maintainedv through the period of compressiona subchamber 7 and the other two chambers," the, line of contact between the contents of the respectivev communicating chambers 7 and.v

the contents of'the tion chamber 17 through the period of compression. The position of the piston 26 is preferably so adjusted, relative to the other parts, that the ignition of the charge, comprising finely atomized particles of fuel oil in the chamber 7, will occur before the parti- `cles of hydro-carbon fuel oil injected in to the chamber 7 will have had time to be chilled by precipitation on the walls of the cylinder and pistonhead which define the.

, ber against the exhaust valve, in meanwhile combustion chamber 7.-

It has been found that through the cooperative effect of the piston. 26 and the other parts, the preparation of the charge and the firing of the same can be so accomplished4 as to more completely effect the combustion of the charge than has been heretofore possible in engines of this general type and by the form and disposition of the ignition chamber and the intermediate fusiform chamber it, has been found possible to prevent a contamination of the volatile igniting charge by the air and heavy fuel oil in the c amber 7 and that the mixture within the ignition chamber 17 particularly, is kept substantially uncontaminated and is retained in an explosive state.

The ignition of the contents of the combustion chamber 7 will heat the gases therein y causing their rapid expansion which .will

force the piston downward on its working stroke; the continuing movement of the piston and consequent koperation of the valves to the completion of the cycle will V be readily understood from the foregoing description and analogous operation in ordinary four cycle engines, except that the use of heavier fuel will effect a slower expansion of the working charge and a longer continued more uniform working pressure will be exerted by the burning fuel than in those engines adapted to use gasoline or a like fuel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of introducing and firing a composite charge in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising the introduction and subsequent com- Y pression of'a charge of atmospheric air, in

then directing a stream of highly compressed over-rich mixture of'hydrocarbon and air from one side of the 'compression chamber upwardly and inwardly toward the central portion of the head of the combus tion chamber, in meanwhileproviding a confined compressed minor charge of a more volatile mixture of hydrocarbon and air in communication with the compressed air being substantially unmixed therewith, and then igniting the said minor charge at a point remote from the chamber to introduce explosively the ignited volatile mixture to the mixture in the chamber.

2. The method of introducing and firing a composite charge in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising the introduction and subsequent compression of a charge of atmospheric air, in then directing a stream of highly compressed over-rich mixture of hydrocarbon and air from one side of the compression chamber upwardly and inwardly toward the central portion of the head of the combustion champrovidin Y a yconfined compressed minor charge o a morevolatilefmixture of hydro, carbon and air in communication with the compressed air beingsubstantially unmixed therewith, and then igniting the said minor charge at a point remote from the chamber to introduce explosively the ignited volatile mixture to the mixture in the chamber.

3. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a cylinder of a pistony therefor, a pair of oppositelydisposed inlet l ports in the head of the cylinder at the sides thereof, a valve for one of said ports, a car'- buretor, a relatively small ignition chamber, conduit means 'leading from the said carburetor to ,theother of said ports, a valve in the said conduit, a relatively enlarged portion of the said conduit comprising an ignition device in the said enlarged conduit portion, a portion of said conduit being disposed between its 'enlarged portion and its port and adapted to effect fluid communication between the said enlarged portion and the cylinder through said port, a second cylinder of relatively small volumetric capacity to that of the said first cylinder, a piston in said second cylinder adapted to compress a char e comprising 'a heavy hydrocarbon intro uced into the said second cylinder and confined therein, means tovoperate said valve to release the highly compressed charge of hydrocarbon to the cylinder during the compression stroke of the piston for the first cylinder, said ignition device adapted to ignite a relatively more volatile mixture fromV the carburetor contained in the said ignition chamber to explode the same, the force of the explosion distrubuting the resulting burning through the said second part into the cvlin der to ignite the charge of compressed air and hydrocarbon'therein.

4. Amotor comprising a cylinder, a piston reciprocal therein, means for supplying 12) fuel to said cylinder, means for introducing an ignited fuel into said cylinder, the last named means comprisin an ignition chamber and a fusiform con uit connecting said ignition chamber with said cylinder.

5. A motor comprising a c linder, a piston reciprocal therein, means or supplying fuel to said cylinder, means for introducing an ignited fuel into said cylinder, the last named means comprising an ignition 130 charged portion llaA chamber and a conduit having an enlarged portion with reduced orifices connecting said ignition chamber with said cylinder.

6. A motor comprising a cylinder, a piston reciprocal Ithereirnmeans for supplying` fuel to said cylinder, means for introducing an ignited fuel into said cylinder, the last named means comprising an ignition chamber' and a conduit having an enlarged passageway with a reduced outlet orifice connecting said lignition chamber With said cylnder.

an ignition chamber and a fusiform conduit connecting said ignition chamber With said cylinder.

8. A hydrocarbon motor ,comprising a cylinder, a piston reciprocal therein, means for supplying a hydrocarbon Vfuel to said cylinder, means for. introducing an ignited mixture of air and hydrocarbon into said cylinder, the last named means comprising an ignition chamber and a conduit having an enlarged central portion and reduced oriiices connecting said ignition chamber With said cylinder. A Y

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature this 14th day of December, 1925.

GEORGE W. SMITH, JR. 

